Shimkus cites Genesis on climate

Rep. John Shimkus is standing by a controversial comment that global warming isn't something to worry about because God said he wouldn't destroy the Earth after Noah's flood.

The Illinois Republican running for the powerful perch atop the House Energy and Commerce Committee told POLITICO on Wednesday that his understanding of the Bible reaffirms his belief that government shouldn't be in the business of trying to address rising greenhouse gas emissions.

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"I do believe in the Bible as the final word of God," Shimkus said. "And I do believe that God said the Earth would not be destroyed by a flood.

“Now, do I believe in climate change? In my trip to Greenland, the answer is yes. The climate is changing,” he added. “The question is more about the costs and benefits and trying to spend taxpayer dollars on something that you cannot stop versus the changes that have been occurring forever. That's the real debate."

Shimkus drew snickers from the left in March 2009 when he quoted an exchange between God and Noah in Genesis during a subcommittee hearing on adaptation policies for dealing with climate change. His critics have rehashed the congressman's remarks now that he's entered the internal GOP campaign to take charge of the House panel with direct oversight of global warming and other environmental and energy policy issues.

"I'm glad that John Shimkus can sleep at night, faithful that that God's word is 'infallible, unchanging, perfect,'" Salon blogger Andrew Leonard wrote on Wednesday. "But for those of us who are less confident in humanity's ability to keep from massively screwing up, the thought that the Bible will be determining government energy policy is massively ulcer inducing."

Steve Tomaszewski, a Shimkus spokesman, said the congressman cited the Bible during the hearing because two ordained ministers testifying on the panel included their own Bible passages as part of their prepared remarks.

Shimkus is one of four Republicans seeking the Energy and Commerce gavel — Joe Barton, Fred Upton and Cliff Stearns are the others — in what has become an increasingly nasty campaign. Barton is seeking a waiver from GOP leaders he’s unlikely to get, and he and other conservatives are attacking Upton for not being conservative enough. Shimkus would not have that problem, and at the every least he is well-situated for a subcommittee chairmanship.

Echoing Upton, Stearns and Barton, Shimkus pledged to aggressively pursue repeal and oversight of the health reform law, a significant piece of which falls under the Energy and Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction.